Author: karissaprince

I am a recent graduate of a Youth Work degree who went to Coventry solely to get a degree however gained so much more salvation. Coventry is the special place where god pursued me, and saved me whilst I was lost. The idea of my own blog was placed in my heart recently to share revelations, struggles in the walk of a newborn christian striving to be a true representative of Christ.
#Striving to Illuminate the lamp within

I felt prompted to share with you, the place I have been in these past few months, I want to be transparent with you all by exposing my imperfections and struggle. Transparency is key and I believe God wants me to share the word He gave me in this season. This post is not like my usual posts, however I think in it’s own way it is just as neccessary to encourage those who resonate with place I’m in.

I am now approaching my 25th birthday and I have been reflecting on my life ( yes I know its not that old) . Suddenly old goals and memories of what I envisioned my life would be like by the time I reached this age, all came to mind. Do you remember those dreams and conversations you had with friends when you were 16/18 about where you would be by time you reached your mid twenties. It does make me smile, there was a sense of naivity that came with it. Setting out the time frames for the normal themes: buying my first home, getting married , having kids, travelling and making big movements in my career.

I have felt unhappy with how things are at the moment, a big factor which has got me down is my job. I have never felt so up and down in a role before, it is a rewarding but such an emotionally taxing role and especially when you are just trying to process your own life events. It can feel very overwhelming at times. I hate the impact it has on my mood at times and I do feel bad talking to God about it as I want to be that person who is content within any season regardless of what I’m doing. But I must admit these past few months have been a struggle to keep smiling and praisinng through it.

I did not like the way I was allowing the environments I am in, determine my attitude. As I do feel as christians we are Christ’s light bearers and through allowing God to use us as His vessels darkness should be expelled. But in reality I did/do feel it was beginning to have its toll on me. I was getting to the point where I just could not even be bothered to wake up and attend my responsibilities anymore, I was tired of pretending I was happy. To make it worse I have been applying for jobs for a while which I know I am capable of doing. I was becoming frustrated with God because it just didn’t seem to matter the impact of my circumstances were having on me but cleary God had other plans.

Then this scripture just kept coming to me:

Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these ?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

Ecclesiastes 7: 10

Not going to lie, God was reaching out to me in many ways, but I just kept resulting back to the same thing, asking God to remove me from the situation because of how I was feeling. Then I had this light bulb moment where this verse spoke directly to me and shifted my prayer pattern away from take me away to help me Lord to see your will for me in this situation.

Before I go on, I want to share with you what makes me refuse to give up and keeps me going each day regardless of the inner battle I face. God is good and His intentions for my life are pure and not of evil, He is always working everything together for my good regardless of what I think, feel or see. God is with me through every season, He is for me and not against me, He can handle our honesty and us bearing our truth.

As you grow in your walk with God you start to learn to trust His promises over what you see in the natural. Your faith keeps you going as you cling to His promises and take things day by day, you start to see you can bear so much more than you thought you ever could.

What I have learned in this season:

Your not always going to find every season pleasant to your flesh but it does not mean that God is not doing something which is required for you or the people He wants to reach through you.

You have to make sure your filling yourself up spiritually from the fountain of life. Spending time with God in studying His word, prayer and worship, is required to sustain you.

Every season is for a reason and if God has placed you there then he will most definatley help you.

Look at your experiences through the light of God to enquire wisely.

Learn and meditate on his promises and speak them over your life.

Enquire wisely about what God wants from you.

Remove the focus from how you feel to who God is and the characteristics of God.

Accept the way God does things for who can straighten what he has made crooked? Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

Ecclessiates 7: 13-14

I would love to tell you, that now I have found this job with an amazing pay rise and finally able to buy my first place. In due season, OF COURSE! Amen!! But this is not the case right now. I have just recognised, I need to spend more time with God to draw from his strength and need to ask for help to do His will. Still learning how to not allow the environments I enter to dictate the way I feel.

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

There has been some amazing testimonies from these past few months of how much God has moved on my behalf and the young people I have been supporting through a difficult time. The fruit which has been produced in this season is beyond words. It’s not always going to be about making you feel ‘happy’ but God does promises us peace and joy which is far greater than a temporary emotion.

Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, You are God.

Psalm 90:2

Jesus replied, ‘ You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.’ John 13:7

Things will work in your favour, you just have to keep on clinging to the promises of God. This post is dedicated to those people who are depressed or just feeling low. There are aspects you learn in valleys about you and the characteristics of God, which you wouldn’t in a ‘good’ season. There is a stripping process which takes place, you start to appreciate God as the person rather than the giver of things. Instead you get to experience a peace that surpases all understanding and a comfort that touches you in unexpected ways. Remember God is immovable and will never leave you.

Father, I just want to thank you for being my
rock and a constant source of comfort, peace and joy throughout every season. Thank you for being my safe refuge in my time of need, thank you for pushing me to evolve and for knowing my full potential in you. Thank you Father for being a good Father, thank you for your love, grace and mercy which you provide each day. Thank you Lord for being a consistently faithful God. Thank you Father, most importantly, for who you are and for the privilege of having a relationship with you built on your love and pursuit. Lord I pray that you will lead and send this post to soften and touch every heart that comes to see it, lead this post to where you need it to go.

In Jesus Name Amen.

Life is filled with peaks, valleys and hidden twists, you never quite know what a day will bring forth. So much can change within a year, sometimes they are changes we embrace and love, but then there are changes which catch us off guard, which we do not want to accept. But one thing is certain, time keeps moving, the sun goes up and sun comes down every day.

We all have certain goals, desires and an idea, which we have envisioned for our lives. That place where we will be able to say I’m thriving and content with the direction of my life, however, as you are aware life has its own plans.

How should we approach the: no’s, delays and closed doors? How do you keep going when you feel like you have reached your limit? How should we react when everything seems like they are not going right?

This year has been a testing year in many different ways. Life kept throwing me curve balls, and it felt like it was just one thing after another. This became the pattern for the year, being knocked down and then fighting to get back up, to the point, I felt like I no longer had the strength to keep getting back up and I was just tired.

My job is very demanding, and I felt I no longer had the head space or energy to keep going with it and I was praying for an ‘out’. I felt so low and down and needed something good to happen. Then I found this role and it sounded perfect in every way, the distance was closer to home, increase in salary, great annual leave and an overall solid next step in my career.

I had never felt so passionate about a role and never felt so strong about wanting a role like this before. I remember being nervous about submitting my application and how happy I was when I received an offer for an interview, I was so pleased. The interview process was very intense, I saw people get cut right in front of me, however I got shortlisted alongside two people who were both strong candidates.

Decision day arrived for me to find out the verdict. I just remember waiting for my phone to ring, but it was getting closer to 5 and I had not received a call. People kept asking me have you heard back yet, which was just making me feel worse. Then the next day I received a letter in the post, and I knew instantly they did not choose me, I was so gutted and I took it really hard. It was just the tipping point and I remember asking God ‘when is it my turn for a breakthrough’ ‘ why couldn’t they chose me’ and ‘why couldn’t I get what I wanted for once’. It just felt like my year was just filled with constant battles and I just wanted something great to happen to compensate for it all. I felt annoyed at God, but at the same time I knew God had a plan for my life which will be fulfilled, however it still hurt and I was conflicted.

Thankfully, I had a holiday booked for the following week to Bali, God was right on time because I was honestly just feeling down and out. God is amazing, as this holiday was so therapeutic, it gave me the time to take a step back and regroup. God met my need by giving me the healing I required.

This study I did recently, really spoke into my situation and I wanted to share it with you.

I was looking at Genesis chapter 15- 22 , at the process and the lead up to the birth of Isaac who is Abraham and Sarah’s son (original names Abram and Sarai) . It is a well-known message, so I will just give a brief background. Abraham was told by God that He would be the father of multitudes, but at the time of this prophecy, Abraham and his wife had no children and they were advancing in age. Following this promise God provided Abraham, some time had passed :

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife , had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her”. And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

Genesis 16:1-2

I found it interesting, that Sarah stated the Lord restrained her from bearing children.

Restrain: is to deprive (someone) of freedom of movement or personal liberty.

Sarah felt this way even though she knew God promised, Abraham would become the father of nations, however through a long time of waiting she no longer felt this promise applied to her life, in fact she felt God was now the one who was depriving her of this. Sarah could not see any movement in her life to indicate God will fulfill His promise. All Sarah could see was she was old and pass the age of bearing children and had felt her moment had passed to become a mother. Sarah discounted herself from her calling and then tried to take it into her own hands and help God with His plan (as we do), which resulted in her maid having a child with her husband Abraham, called Ishmael.

This is when we say thank God for His mercy and His pursuit of us. God visited Abraham again following this and made this statement:

Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people’s from her.”

Genesis 17:15-16

Sarah may have discounted her self from what God called her to be however God remains faithful even when we are faithless, and he brought confirmation and spoke hope into their lives. Sarah thought her plan was just to be a mother to one but God called her to something greater than what she ever envisioned for her life. God called her to be a part of the lineage of Christ, to be the mother of nations, in fact to be the first couple named in the geneology of Christ.

If Sarah knew where God was taking her, then I bet she would have had a different outlook to her set back, does make you wonder why do we think we know better than the God who made us and who knows our beginning from our end. We were created with purpose and God’s plan for our lives will always be far greater than what we attempt to plan for ourselves, God is right on time.

You have to choose to look up and to focus on Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, as He is the author and finisher of our faith. He knows what you can become and will help you to get there, regardless of the detours along the way. We have to learn to embrace the hard times and closed doors, just as much we love to embrace the peaks in life, because God’s intentions towards you are ALWAYS PURE AND GOOD!! God does not have any plans to harm you, His plan is to prosper you and to give you a future and a hope, He is not the author of confusion, He provides us with sound mind and love. So today I want you to thank God, as He is working on your character and perfecting His image in you and preparing you for where He is taking you.

Our future may not be known to us in full but we can trust in our Living God who holds our future and knows what is to come. Your outlook on your life, is grounded as soon as you shift your focus from yourself to God.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of life, for blessings of each day, and the people placed in our lives. Thank you Almighty God for being a present help when we are faced with the adversities which have been sent to break us. Thank you Lord for your presence and for supplying our every need, for enabling us to have peace in all situations and storms, which honestly surpasses all understanding. Thank you Lord for making your word accessible to us all and for making the time and space to hear our prayers even though so many speak to you at once, you still listen to us individually. Thank you for growth and the wisdom you share with us. Thank you Lord for pursuing us all in love and for every pure and good intention you have towards your people. Lord you are the only one who can make a mess into a message,and you are able to make something beautiful blossom out of the hardships we are faced with in life. Lord thank you for the blood of Christ Jesus, which has given us the chance to walk in newness of life and to be freed from darkness. Almighty God, I pray you will continue to strengthen your people and bring light to the darkest of places and mindsets. Help us to walk in the liberty you have given to us and to adhere to your will for our lives.

In Jesus Name Amen.

There has been so much hurt, pain, blame, grief and adversity in so many people’s lives in the past few months. People dying in horrific and unusual ways. Every time you seem to turn on the news, there seems to be a new incident which has occurred.

What can we do when adversity seems to be knocking at the door and you can’t escape it? People are growing more concerned about where is safe and what they can do to protect themselves and the people they love. How do we continue to live everyday life when all we seem to be plagued with, is incident after incident? How do we deal with the pieces that are left and when your hurt is no longer front line news anymore.

This season of my life has been one of the most difficult times, I have ever been faced with this far, losing my brother was an unexpected shock to us all. It makes you re-evaluate every aspect of your life as it gives you a reminder, time is precious and we don’t know when our time here is done.

Grief is weird! One minute your making all these plans, going about your day to day life then just in a blink of a moment, everything suddenly changes. Then you get all these lovely messages and people visit you, and then your crazy busy making funeral arrangements and that becomes your focal point. Your work place tells you how much compassionate leave you are able to take, to process. Then the day of the funeral comes, after that day you are expected to get back to your life before everything changed.

Life literally does not wait for anyone, you may feel like you just want to pause, hide away, escape but the sun continues to rise and the days continue to pass. As I was adjusting to normal life, I asked God what should I read in this season, I was led to the book of Ruth.

Ruth is about more than ‘finding your Boaz’! In fact through studying Ruth, I realized you can draw encouragement from Ruth’s journey when dealing with sudden terror, grief and adversity.

Quick Breakdown- Story Time: Book of Ruth, chapter 1.

Naomi was originally from Bethlehem but migrated to Moab during the famine in their land with her husband and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. The Moabites (people of Moab) and the Ephrathites (people of Bethlehem), did not get on at that time, it must have been extreme circumstances for Naomi’s family to consider moving there. Naomi’s sons married Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah.

Sadly Naomi’s husband died and then not long after her two sons died as well. Naomi was left with her two daughter in laws in a land which was not her original home. Naomi, Ruth and Orpah were now left to deal with their loss.

Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

Ruth 1:5

Looking at these three women: Ruth, Naomi and Oprah. We can see different ways of dealing with adversity, today I will be focusing on Ruth.

Naomi was really struggling to cope with all the loss she was faced with, she left her hometown with her husband and made a life for herself in Moab, where she raised her two sons. Naomi then found herself in a place which no longer felt like home because everything she had built, in a moment changed. Widows at this time were frowned upon, Naomi no longer knew what she had to offer to her daughter in laws, as she felt her loss, stripped away her identity. Naomi could not see past her own hurt and tried to push her daughter in laws away and she felt God had abandoned her in her time of need. Naomi found her self needing to rediscover her identity and her definition of home.

I went out full, and the Lord brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

Ruth 1:21

The way Ruth carried herself was truly mind blowing. Often people focus on Naomi or if we speak of Ruth, we talk about her finding her Boaz. However Ruth was also experiencing hardship, her husband died and she was left with no children. Naomi was pushing her away and was absorbed with her own grief, to notice Ruth was hurting too. Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, and did not want her daughter in laws to come with her. Naomi wanted Ruth to find a new husband in Moab and to be happy and have children. Orpah decided to remain in Moab, but Ruth refused to leave Naomi. Ruth chose to walk in love and displayed loyalty to Naomi and journeyed to Naomi’s hometown.

But Ruth said: ‘Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you ; For wherever you go, I will go; And whenever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people, shall be my people. And your God, my God.’

Ruth 1:16

Ruth was told to return home, but she was in the process of redefining what home was to her. Her sister in law abandoned her, and she found herself leaving her hometown to migrate to a place that was not welcoming to a Moabite women, who was also a widow. Ruth was leaving her family, friends and place of familiarity behind to venture to a place where she didn’t know she would be accepted. Ruth was willing to give up the possibility of security and children in order to care for Naomi. Regardless of how bleak the situation seemed in the physical realm, and looked like no fruit could come from her decision. Ruth chose love instead of self pity. Ruth did not focus on the stacks which were against her but chose faith and had a full assurance about her decision. Ruth chose to rise!

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.

Micah 7:8

Yes! Ruth did end up meeting her Boaz, but actually I would say the book of Ruth demonstrates God’s capacity to bring redemption and restoration to our lives. God will bring something beautiful out of what seems to be a mess. Ruth became apart of the lineage of Christ, she was king David’s great grandmother.

In the midst of our pain and when things seem bleak our God provides the strength for us to rise and conquer the battle which tries to make us give up. My God brings light to darkness. He is the lamp to our feet.

When you lose someone/ something special the process of re-evaluation begins, your morals and what you stand for are tested. You enter unknown territory and are forced to rediscover who you are and what you bring to the table. We ultimately have the choice to decide if we will fight or give up. How we face the challenge, displays what is in our heart.

Teach us to realize the beauty of life. So that we may grow in wisdom. Psalm 90:12

Even to your old age, I am He, And even to grey hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:4

God doesn’t promise a world free of danger, but he does promise His help whenever we face danger. God is a present help, He is not a far off God, He is a personal God.

We find out the true value of God’s presence in the midst of storms. There is joy, hope, peace, love and comfort in God’s presence. It’s through the presence of God that we can rise after a fall and keep going. God will carry you when you are feeling weak and will continue to supply your needs.

Heavenly Father, Thank you for the gift of life and for blessing us with the people within our lives. Thank you, God, for being a present help in the time of trouble, thank you for the peace in which you supply which surpasses all understanding. Thank you Father for creating us and enabling us to create memories with our dear loved ones, thank you for your comfort and for never forsaking us. Thank you for Jesus Christs sacrifice on the cross, because of Him we live and move and have our being. Because of Him we have access to joy, peace and hope and most importantly salvation. Thank you Lord for never condemning us and for redeeming us from darkness, thank you for the talents and gifts you have loaned to us. Thank you for your guidance and for going through life’s ups and downs with us. Lord please bring whomever this post is for to this page, Lord I pray that it will create an opportunity for dialogue, healing and peace. Lord I pray for divine protection over us all and please supply the needs of your people, as you are sufficient.

In Jesus Name Amen.

One thing is inevitable while we are here on earth, suffering and goodbyes. It is something we will all experience in some way or form in life, I would like to tell you that when you are saved there is no more pain but sadly that is not the case. When people are hurting, this is often when we hear these quotes ‘If God was real then x would not have happened’ or ‘Why does God allow bad things to happen, if he is an all loving God’.

We are living in a fallen world due to the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, through them sin entered the world (Genesis 3). Due to this death, pain, sorrow, loss and simply just suffering came on earth.

My big brother Daniel passed away this week and we are now faced with, dealing with the death of a loved one. Despite my current circumstance, I know that God has pure intentions towards us all and He is a present help in our time of need. I want to share with you, what a great comforter and friend we have in the Lord and the hope and strength that comes with knowing God. I hope this post brings you peace in whatever storm you are going through right now, as I share some of my go to scriptures for comfort with you.

When we experience our goodbyes, we come face to face with questions about suffering. We also come face to face with a God who suffers pain and hurts with us, a God who wants us to be free of our suffering. Jesus gave evidence of this in His life by blessing and healing, freeing and consoling, doing all He could to take away the suffering that was part of the human condition.

Praying our goodbyes- Joyce Rupp.

What we can cling on to is the fact that we do not experience suffering on our own, God is with you always, even during your pain.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43: 2

Even to your old age, I am He,

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:4

I know at times you can be among all these people and still feel alone and misunderstood, yearning to have that one person who gets how you really feel. The problem is no one will ever be able to completely understand how you feel but there is one who knows the depths of your heart and that one being is GOD! Our creator knows you by name and hears your every prayer, He is sufficient to fill any voids and to heal any wounds. We just need to come to the Lord, God does not need a big fancy prayer He just requires an honest plea from the heart, he requires us to face our truth and to entrust Him with how we really feel.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart- These, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

God is one who has promised over and over in the scriptures to be near with comfort to us, to be there to sustain us, to keep us from being destroyed by our difficulties. This God is a refuge for the needy in distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat, the good friend who stays with us in our struggles and our emptiness.

Praying our goodbyes- Joyce Rupp

You will get through your current storm by the help of the Author and Finisher of our faith Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior. I know it hurts, but you are not alone and with God you have access to restoration, hope, joy, peace and love. You are loved and God is working everything out for your good. What the enemy is trying to attack you with right now, God has the power to make something beautiful out of it. God is stronger than anything in this world. Joy comes from the Lord and that cannot be taken away from you, press into God even more right now and He will help you.

He sent from above, He took me;He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy. From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the Lord was my support.

Psalm 18:16-18.

For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

For by you I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all whotrust in Him.

For who is God, except the Lord?And who is a rock, except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.

Psalm 18:28-32

This post is dedicated to my brother Daniel, I love you and will never forget you. I thank God for blessing me with you and allowing me to have memories of you to cherish. Considering my week, my parting words are, reach out to your loved ones regardless of the minor things which you disagree on. None of us know what will happen and when our time is up and all the disagreements will be so minor, mend and make new memories while you have the time to do so. God bless.

Dear God, I just want to say thank you for remaining a faithful God and for being continuous safe refuge that we can always run to. Thank you for loving us, flaws and all! Thank you for your patience and grace which you provide for us new every day. Thank you Lord for the fact I am not where I used to be and for giving us the privilege to walk in newness of life. Thank you for life and for every hidden blessing we overlook. Lord please touch the hearts of every person who comes into contact with this post, Lord if there is anyone that feels like giving up, please strengthen and encourage them. Lord please lead and guide this post.

In Jesus Name Amen.

I recently started going to the gym, to become healthier and more toned. To get the results I want I have to push myself, this means I have to learn to follow through and complete my workout! When you start to become tired, this is when I will try convince myself it doesn’t matter if you don’t complete the time. These thoughts start to begin, when you feel you have reached your limit, yet you have to keep going to reap the rewards.

Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 43:10

The following video displays a great visual to today’s theme.

Breakdown of Olympic Video message:

So many people start the race, but desire, aspiration and ambition alone does not enable you to complete the race.

Sometimes to get to the finish line, you have to push through the discomfort, pain and frustration to make it.

The Lord is with you in the midst of every rough storm and He strengthens you to achieve the task at hand.

The Lord is with you every step of the way, He will never leave your side, even when you want to quit on yourself. God is still able and will remain faithful, even when you are faithless.

Endurance:

The ability to endure an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.

I was reading the book of Daniel today in regards to Shadrach, Meshach, Abed- Nego being thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3-1-25). What I love about this chapter is, it challenges the misconceptions of being a christian. Sometimes people think that when you become a christian, you won’t go through hard times… this is not true.

King Nebuchadnezzar commanded for Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- Nego to be cast into the fiery furnace, with the heat turned up 7 times its normal rate. The guards who took the men into the furnace were killed by the heat, whilst the 3 men were unharmed. Once the king saw that the three men were able to withstand the heat, he gave praise to God and glorified Him.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke saying to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king , ‘ True, O KING.”

‘Look!’ he answered ,’I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire;and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’

Daniel 3:24- 25

Story Time

I started a new job 6 months ago, I was thinking this opportunity will develop my skill set and enable me to grow. I’m starting to realize, the opportunities I most look forward to, are often the most challenging and end up being far different to my expectation of how things will go. I am starting to see the beauty in being stretched and the process of developing, being stretched involves being formed into a new shape. It’s hard because it’s unnatural to you, you are not used to the new dynamics and environment, and this is where fear tries to creep in.

I know in my heart, that this is where God has called me to be in this season of my life. And I am beginning to learn that regardless of how I may feel, I want God’s will to prevail which means I have trust and obey in God’s timing. We need to learn to meditate on God’s goodness and remind ourselves, He is working everything out for my good, every intention of God is pure. Now I can recognize, how much God has developed me as a person within the past few months and the character building which has taken place. For the fruits of the spirit to be developed within us we have to undergo the process of character building.

And we desire that each of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end , that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith, hope and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:11-12

And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 8:2

Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end.

Deuteronomy 8:16.

God is able to bring you through your current situation, God will not lead you anywhere without his presence to guide your journey. God will strengthen you to overcome your current challenge. God is a present help and with you every step of the way, He is your support and He is sufficient. DON’T GIVE UP, KEEP GOING!!!

Happy new year and thank you for you’re support and for taking the time to read my blog. It is very appreciated and I hope that it has been a blessing to you all, even if you have only read one post it does mean a lot to me. ❤

Being confident of this very thing , that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

Have you ever felt like your not as far as you should be and felt discouraged by this?

I know I have. Sometimes I think and look at areas of my life and think am I behind, should things have progressed past the point they are. For instance: Closeness in relationships with family/ friends, certain tasks you desired to finish a while ago which are still incomplete, growth in walk with Christ, development into the roles you hold (sister, daughter, colleague, cousin, women, a single christian women) and the list goes on.

This brings me to the topic of development and progression, as we have recently entered a new year, with goals, desires, hopes and dreams for 2017. It is a great time to look at Philippians 1:6.

Begin is a verb that means to start, initiate, or set in motion.

Progress: Forward or onward movement towards a destination. Development towards an improved or more advanced condition.

Work– activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a result.

To be complete is having all the necessary or appropriate parts.

If we are not careful we can become paralyzed with fear, to grow and walk in our purpose. If we spend too much time, worrying about what has not advanced the way you thought it would at this point, we can become stagnant. We are often our own hardest critique, be kind to your self.

Lets breakdown Philippians 1:6:

Being confident of this very thing , that He who has begun a good work in you willcomplete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

First thing we are told is to be confident, where does this confidence come… Faith. God has gone before us and created each and everyone of us with a purpose, He knows what your capabilities are and your mannerisms and thoughts a far off. .

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son , that He might be the first born among many brethren. Romans 8:29 (NKJV)

Secondly, we have to recognize that God pursued us and first loved us and because of this He has enabled us to love and pursue our purpose. He is the author and finisher of our faith, do you think God is surprised when we fall or when we haven’t accomplished a task yet… He is not surprised. The scripture states ‘He who begun a good work in you’, this is a key thing to grasp, that it is God our source who has lent resources to us, to cultivate and multiply. He seeks a return on our lives for His kingdom. We have to get passed thinking we can do everything in our own strength, this is where frustration and works of the flesh are evident.

To be able to grow in love and to even display love to God, we need our Heavenly Father. To be able to accomplish a task, we need Him. To be able to be the best in the roles we have in life, we need Him. To be able lead and have your family dwelling in the house the Lord, we need Him. To grow and develop and mature as a person, we need him. And so it goes on.

Lastly, the scripture states ‘willcomplete it until the day of Jesus Christ’. If we lean upon God and allow him He will complete the work He has begun in you, and it even goes on to say will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. What does this mean? It means that we are meant to always be evolving and developing until the day Jesus Christ return. So all the days of our life we are a work in progress and God knows this.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12: 1-2 (NKJV)

So today I encourage you to keep pressing forward and to not dwell on what has not been accomplished. To remember who has there hands on you and that He who began a good in you, will complete it, just keep holding on to Jesus. Go to God with those things you tried to hide and the things you are worried about because he cares for you and desires a personal relationship with you. God Bless.

Father I just want to say thank you for being a personal God that hears my prayers on your holy hill, Lord there are so many people that pray to you each day yet you still have time for a wretch like me. Lord thank you for your tender mercies and for your chastisement and Spirit that leads and guides me. Thank you for freely giving me your love and for choosing me to be apart of your family. Father I just want to lift you up, Lord deepen our knowledge of you and apply your wisdom to our hearts, help us to grow in fellowship with you and Holy Spirit teach us the ways of God, help us to flow in His will and let our desires be in align with His. Lord I pray that each and every person who comes across this post will be met by you for a new encounter and that the depths of your love will flow through them. Help us O Lord within this fallen world to shine the light you have placed within us and Help us O Lord to be transformed every day by your word let us not conform to the ways of the world but be renewed within our living well. Thank you for supplying all our needs and for never giving up on us. Lord soften our hearts and let us grow in compassion towards others. In Jesus Name Amen.

Falling in love with JesusFalling in love with JesusFalling in love with JesusWas the best thing I ever, ever done

In his arms I feel protectedIn his arms never disconnected (no no)In his arms I feel protectedThere’s no place I’d rather rather be

The Lyrics to this song are so beautiful and sums up what my post is about today, falling in love with Jesus. In another sense accepting the love of Jesus and intimate relationship God desires to have with you.

No longer do I call you servants , for a servant does not know what his master is doing;but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known to you.

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

John 15:15-16

I remember before I accepted Jesus as Lord over my life, many times I had heard the famous words of God so loving the world that he gave his only begotten son to save us. But to be honest it never felt personal and I would hear these words but it did not register within me. There was a disconnect, God felt so far away and when people shared their testimonies it seemed like they were different and the God they spoke about was not available to me. Sometimes we can look at others and be amazed by what God is doing in them and through them but fail to see, that the same God and same spirit is available to you. When we accept Jesus we have access to our Father in Heaven, it is not just some of us that God has called for purpose, we were all built for purpose. God desires a relationship with you and through that relationship God will prune and develop you into the person He called you to be.

Last weekend I went and stayed with my cousins and planned to go to work from their house, and that morning when I went to my (6 days old) car I noticed someone had stolen the glass of my wing mirror. I was so annoyed and hurt to know that someone would do such a wicked thing. While I was trying to sort out getting it fixed, I just started crying to God about how hurt I felt by what had happened and found myself in a place praying for whoever had done it.

Then I found out who did it and his reasoning was I had parked in ‘his space’ and decided to take my mirror and put it down a drain to teach me a lesson. Back in the day I used to get so angry, would have retaliated and wanted revenge. But as I spoke to God and asked him to help me forgive this person and I started praying for him more and God took away my hurt and frustration and gave me His peace and I found myself smiling, singing and giving thanks to God. To anyone who was watching this situation play out they would have thought I was crazy. Funny enough that evening I saw a picture on Facebook which stated ‘when your having a bad day and all you want to do is tell bae’, in that moment it made me reflect on how I was able to go to God and the way He listened and supplied my need.

There is a beautiful exchange between you and God when you come to Him humbly and vulnerable. As you communicate to Him honestly about how you feel and where your heart is at and ask for His help. As you share your worries, He takes it away and supplies your need in that moment and gives you peace as He lifts the burden from you.

Sometimes people think that you need to have that long perfect sounding prayer but actually God knows what we think and need and we should be able to be honest about where we are at. There is a difference between saying something from the heart compared to just saying a prayer you think you should pray.

Honesty brings more intimacy with God and places you in a better position to receive what you need. He wants to know what you are struggling with, He is interested in healing you from the core. Just like any relationship you have the more open you are with a person the closer you become.

Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves , and bring you into the land of Israel.

Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people and brought you up from your graves.

Ezekiel 37:12-13

But now , thus says the Lord, who created you , O Jacob, And He formed you , O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.

Isaiah 43:1

You are Loved, Cherished, Precious and Cared for by God, allow God to reveal Himself to you today and trust Him with your current storm and I promise you He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will guide you and help you to sort through the root causes of the things you struggle with, if you just communicate with Him. God cares and will listen. God Bless you and have a wonderful weekend.

Dear Lord, thank you for being my solid rock and for walking me through the many waters of this current season. Thank you for your presence and for just being a safe refuge, soften our hearts today oh Lord, help us to truly examine our walk with you. Teach us how to really be focused on your will in our day-to-day lives and give us the grace to carry out your will even when it conflicts with our own self interests. Lord develop the fruits of the spirit within our lives, minister into our hearts today, teach us how to love and how to care about others. Help us God to be focused on the things that matter to you. Teach us how to worship you in spirit with our lives everyday. Help us God to overcome our current battle we are facing, Lord let your will be done within this post, I want you to take control and to increase within my Lamp for Christ blog, let this message reach who you have called it to reach. In Jesus Name Amen.

Whose will are we committed to fulfilling our will or His? You know those worship songs we sing, do we really reflect them within our day-to-day decisions and the way we decide to carry ourselves. Within this current season I have been faced with these questions:

Are you truly committed to your walk with God?

What are you willing to leave behind to stay committed?

Is there a cost you are not willing in order to maintain your relationship with God?

What happens to your walk with God when your buzz of being a new-found christian is shaken by this thing called life.

Within this season all of my old forms of attack came up against me at once. Over this year lets just say I have had a lot of people exit my life, those friendships I have had for years who I never suspected would leave me left without warning.

With all the rejection and abandonment from various people I found myself seeking comfort in the place of the arms of the person that was a former idol. My ex, I know when everyone else does not respond he will always respond and that I can speak to him. He asked to meet up and I agreed and next thing I know we were kissing and reminiscing it got me thinking maybe this could work. But when we were speaking I knew in my heart he was not going to draw me closer to God but in fact pull me away from him. We were on different wave lengths and had different priorities, what I actually ended up doing is entangling myself with a former idol I was freed from. I had a great day with him but actually when I got home, I heard this still voice in my heart while my imagination was about to get ahead of itself. The voice said Are you truly committed to your walk with God? I had to cast down the vain imaginations, and really ask my heart the question who do you love more. Before really saying yes to God, without a doubt I would have just settled but now after all God has done for me and delivered me from. I know in my heart I can not open that door again and it reaffirmed to me the importance of my relationship with God. Sometimes God requires us to put things down which you still want in your life but our God is not a forceful God we have to make the decision to let it go.

I have always struggled to let go of people, I spent a lot of time fighting it and wondering why, what did I do? what went wrong etc. Yes sometimes you are just in the wrong but there is a point when you have to ask your self why are you chasing people who do not deserve access to your life?

Many Disciples turn away from Jesus

And He said, “Therefore I have said to you no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father”

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more

Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

John 6: 65-67

Jesus knew his worth and his purpose and was committed to fulfilling the will of His Farther. People started to walk away from Jesus just as he was starting to grow in his ministry. I love Jesus’s response when people started to turn their backs on him, he didn’t wallow in self-pity he actually asked those who remained if they wanted to leave as well.

Would you put down all the things you cared about to really stay committed to your walk with God, will you leave it all behind and just follow him?

But what things are gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things as loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Philippians 3:7-8

Situations will arise in your life that test you to see where you are in your relationship with God. God is interested in your heart and how you respond to situations, to see if you are really walking in the freedom Christ has given you or if we are choosing to be entangled in the old weight that ensnared us?

And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Deuteronomy 8:2

When your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Deuteronomy 8: 14

“who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good in the end

Deuteronomy 8:16

Even when all you can see is chaos and your feelings are up and down. God has a plan, He knows the plan He has for your life, sometimes we have to let go of something we feel is good for God’s best to enter. This is where we need faith, I am also in a transitional phase I am starting to see why certain things needed to take place and I know my God is a God of restoration and will come through like he has done every single time. Hold firm to your solid rock and walk in the liberty he has set before you.

Standfast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1

God places you in a place for a reason and just because it might be uncomfortable doesn’t mean it is not where you are meant to be. Within those moments you learn to trust and lean on God more. Sometimes the pain and discomfort you experience is meant to be a blessing to someone else.

Do not forget the goodness of God, He is your personal deliverer who loves you and will correct you. He is interested in building your character and casting down vain imaginations. God wants us to be in tune with him and to trust that His will is the best for us. We have to die to self everyday to be able to live for God. We need to examine our hearts.

When I became saved I decided that I wouldn’t kiss my husband until my wedding day. Personally, I was Christ’s bride and therefore kissing my husband was a privilege kept only for marriage when God handed me over. When I met my potential life partner I was so deeply in love with God that I even asked him to cease all communication with me for 7 months so that I could concentrate on Jesus and deepen in my intimacy with Him. After 5 months we felt it was sufficient to speak again and pursue a pure and Godly courtship,so we thought.

The problem was that because of how we had prioritised God whilst we were single, our flesh now prided itselfon the idea that we were now invincible from falling. We convinced ourselves that we were so intimate with God that nothing could trip us up…

I have been looking at the area of comfort zones over the summer. The picture (below) mentioned 90% (not a factual figure) of the population lived in their comfort zone and in mediocrity. Even though it may not be an exact figure we see all around us the evidence of this. Staying in a job, relationship, friendship past its sell by date out of being comfortable and knowing what to expect. Being frustrated by the same things everyday but continuing in the same cycle.

Comfort zones:

a situation where one feels safe or at ease.

a settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results.

If you stay in your comfort zone, you will never improve

What keeps us in the same patterns instead of stepping out of our comfort zones?

We stay in situations we are frustrated with because we know what to expect and are used to the surroundings. There is a clear picture of what is ahead within your comfort zone, as it doesn’t involve you exercising your faith to do it. You know what to expect of others and what is expected of you.

I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them; And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them. And not forsake them.

Isaiah 42:16

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; why does one still hope for what he sees?

Romans 8:24

“Breaking your own mold can only make you stronger and more confident to reach higher levels in your professional and personal life. Innovation happens when we step outside our comfort zone. Being stagnant in routine often results in plummeting creativity”

Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo, therapist .

The Lord our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey …

Deuteronomy 1:6-7

What hindrance to your faith is it staying comfortable?

If where you are is so solid and comfortable, you are able to do it in your own strength. We end up not giving God the chance to move within our situation. We are fearful of what could happen if we illuminate the light within us placed by God. If we are in a place where we do not need God and things are so clear and can be done. Are we really where we need to be, should we really be able to carry out our day to day lives in our own strength over His sufficiency?

How can God light your path if your not willing to step into the darkness of the unknown, you cannot light a lit room there first has to be darkness, a blank canvas.

It is in those times where we are unsure, when things are not set out that gives our dependency to God. Because it leaves us in a place where we have to step out and trust God will light the way.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.

2 Corinthians 3:5

The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.

Deuteronomy 1:30

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye.

Psalm 32:8

I sought the Lord, and He heard me. And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:4

If you stay in your comfort zone you will never improve. Lets seek God today and look at the areas in our lives we have become comfortable and settled in our frustration and surrender it to God, to enlighten our darkness and for Him to be a lamp to our feet.